The Eagles were back at practice on Tuesday and the whole gang was there.
Every Eagles player who was healthy enough to be on the practice field today was there, including Michael Bennett and Darren Sproles.
The Eagles cut their practice a little short but not before getting plenty of competitive work in. Let's start with a couple of anticipated new arrivals:
1. Mighty Mouse was back after skipping the OTAs. The 34-year-old Sproles says he's 100 percent but coaches are being cautious with him. That explains why he didn't get a whole lot of reps in his first practice back.
Darren Sproles not taking a ton of reps but he's out here. pic.twitter.com/eswd9cKsHb— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) June 12, 2018
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But what we did see from Sproles wasn't surprising. He's still a physical freak. He didn't do much, but he still obviously has his quickness.
The most telling thing about Sproles is how he's already being a leader for his teammates. First day back and even though he wasn't fielding punts, he was running with the returners and then giving them tips as they waited in line to get their turn. On Monday, Duce Staley said there's no question: Sproles is the leader of the running back room.
And while we're at it, we have seen the same thing from Jason Peters. For some reason, he helped break down the huddle for the third-team offense once and walked across two fields talking with rookie Jordan Mailata (the rugby project).
Sproles and Peters are still expected to play at a really high level this year, but they bring more than that.
2. Bennett made his Eagles practice debut. Before the session, head coach Doug Pederson said Bennett would be worked in with the first team over this minicamp, but he wasn't with the ones today.
Instead, Bennett was the left defensive end with the second team, while Chris Long and Derek Barnett worked with the starters. That doesn't mean much yet, but it's at least a starting point (see story).
Couldn't see much from Bennett in one practice, but watching him during individual drills, the thing that did stand out were his hands. They looked violent.
3. As always, I took attendance at practice. Alshon Jeffery was there, but is still not ready to practice. Brandon Graham (ankle) and Tim Jernigan (back) weren't out there either.
Sidney Jones missed practice after already missing some time last week. In the locker room, Jones said he's doing OK, but is being held out with soreness. Haloti Ngata, Chris Maragos, LaRoy Reynolds and Josh Adams were out there, but not participating.
4. The good news for Donnel Pumphrey was that he was back at practice after missing the last couple of days in OTAs. He needs every possible opportunity to try to prove his worth and he can't do it on the sideline. He did show a little flash today. He caught a screen pass in the flat and made a quick and impressive move. A long way to go, but I'm interested to see what this kid does in the summer.
5. Carson Wentz update time: He looks good.
Carson Wentz going through drills #Eagles pic.twitter.com/nAuJXfIoJs— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) June 12, 2018
Still not involved in 11-on-11s, but he's getting reps in 7-on-7s and individual drills. He had an up-and-down day as a passer, but at least he looks healthy. That's the most important thing.
6. The best offensive play of the day came from Wentz. Down in the red zone, the quarterback rocketed a ball into a tight window to a diving Nelson Agholor in the end zone. He beat an outstretched Ronald Darby. It was a great play all around.
7. The second-best offensive play of the day came in 7-on-7s, when Nate Sudfeld dropped a beautiful deep ball into Dallas Goedert's arms for a touchdown. It was a perfect pass over linebacker Asantay Brown, but give credit to Goedert too. He just seems to be able to get open. He made a handful of impressive plays today.
8. Rough day for rookie corner Avonte Maddox. He was beaten twice in three plays for big gains. First by Markus Wheaton and then by Bryce Treggs. He's going to take his lumps this offseason, but the Eagles don't need to rely on him this season.
9. Poor Darby got crushed on a screen pass when Jason Kelce got downfield to block. Darby is listed at 193 pounds, so Kelce has 102 pounds on him. It showed. The center completely obliterated the speedy corner. These aren't contact drills, but it's hard to slow down 295 pounds getting out front to block.
Despite those last two plays, the defense won the day, although the offense rebounded from a really rough start.
10. Still need to see more, but I've been impressed by Wheaton so far. He has looked good this spring and made a few more catches today. Now, it's important to remember that he's a veteran oftentimes going against more inexperienced players, but he's already shown glimpses of being the player he was before injuries derailed his career. The good thing for Wheaton and the Eagles is that he isn't needed to be a big part of the offense, but as a fifth receiver, he can give the Eagles some incredible depth.
Remember, it was just a couple years ago that receiver was a sore spot for the Eagles. Now, they're really deep with Jeffery, Mike Wallace, Agholor, Mack Hollins, Wheaton, Shelton Gibson, etc.
Stupid Observation of the Day: This one came from our own Andrew Kulp as we watched impressively-fit punter Cameron Johnston boot a few: "I never realized this, but the punter is jacked."
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